Living in the Illusion
by spookygillovnyfangirl
Summary: AU. Rose Tyler is a columnist at the Tardis publishing house, living with the feeling that something- or someone- is missing. That is, until she meets her new co-worker, John Noble, a broken man hiding behind fake smiles. When people and mistakes from their pasts come back to haunt them, will they be able to find happiness together, or will they break their hearts trying to?
1. Chapter 1

_** Hi there, everyone!**_

_** This is my first DW fan fiction, so be warned, because this is probably going to be filled with extreme OOC situations. And if you read Jessica Thompson's 'This is a Love Story' you may find that I based this fic on the book.**_

_** Also, I'm not a native speaker, so sorry for any mistakes you may find.**_

_** Now, without further ado, enjoy!**_

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_** Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who. But you know what I wish I could own? David Tennant.**_

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**Chapter 1- First encounters of the awkward type**

* * *

That morning, in the tube, a young couple sat in front of her.

The girl, not much younger than Rose, had bright auburn hair that resembled fire. Her head was resting on top of her boyfriend's shoulder, a smile curving her pink lips, while the young man, who looked like an intern in an important enterprise judging by his tailored suit, mimicked her, his eyes a pool of love and adoration.

Rose sighed, a dreamy expression taking over her as she let her mind wander about how this young couple's life should be.

She began doing this after she first watched 'Sherlock'— not that she would ever admit it out loud, of course. She simply found it rather entertaining and exciting to try to guess other's people way of living through some glances and besides, it was a great way to spend time when she was bored.

She looked again at the girl and smiled when she saw the engagement ring on her finger.

It couldn't be described as some big and precious rock that most of the 7-year-old girls think they'll have when they get proposed, but Rose thought it was perfect.

_"The young man probably doesn't have that much money."_ Rose thought, staring at the two lovebirds. _"The suit is the most expensive garment he has, and maybe he's trying to impress his boss. And the girl… Seems like some sort of artist, judging by that purple beret, the heavy bracelets and that huge necklace. And if I'm not mistaken… Yes, there it is. Some red dry ink in her hand. She's a painter."_

The two lovebirds decided to share a kiss in that moment, and Rose looked away, cheeks turning into a deep shade of red.

_"Still… They look so happy."_

Maybe that's what she needed. Not the engagement ring, mind you; the love.

When the young couple stopped the make-out session, Rose turned to stare at them again, her heart sinking in a never-ending abysm. Even if she didn't know them, she felt happy for what they found in each other. However, that doesn't mean that she didn't feel a tad jealous. After all, she was tired of waking up alone, spend the day working to death in the office, only to be greeted by Jackie's gossips when she got home.

How she wished she could trade her empty and cold bed by a warm and double one, a husky voice whispering sweet words to her ear while strong arms surround her in a protective way.

Unfortunately, she knew that was not very likely to happen. At least, not until she was able to surpass her… _past, _so to speak.

Yes, because Rose Tyler also had had someone who, at the time, she thought it was 'the one'.

She only noticed how wrong she was when it was too late.

"Excuse me, Miss, is that seat taken?"

Rose snapped out of her reverie and looked up, her breath caught in her throat as she met warm brown eyes looking down at her.

For a second, she swore that if she wasn't already sitting, she would have fallen, for her knees seemed to have turned into jelly.

"Err… P-Pardon?" She asked, slapping herself mentally for her stupidity.

Way to go, Rose.

The man, that she now noticed was wearing a brown pinstriped suit matching his eyes, grinned kindly at her.

"I was asking if the seat is taken." He said, his head slightly pointing in the direction of the empty space beside her.

She followed his gaze, taking advantage of the opportunity to look away from him, knowing that she was very near of passing out due to oxygen deprivation.

She quickly glanced at the empty seat at her side, before returning to look at him, telling herself that she was acting ridiculous.

"Err, no."

Silence.

Hmm… Now it was the part where she should move to let him seat, correct? Because that's what a polite and _sane_ person would do, isn't it?

Then way did she seem to be glued to her spot?

_"Probably because of his eyes,"_ she thinks _"those damned eyes."_

She suspected they had these hypnotic effect that attracted her towards him, just like a small star being pulled towards the immensity of a black hole, and for some seconds, she forgot everything. For some seconds, the world outside ceased to exist and the only occupants of the tube were Rose and the man.

That is, until the man himself broke the spell.

"Miss?"

Right. The seat.

She exhaled a deep breath before smiling warmly at the man, attempting to make up for the complete idiot she had just made of herself. She then slid her bum to the other seat, letting the man seat in her former place, still smiling at him, for some unknown reason— or maybe because she was trying to hide the fact that she almost drooled at his sight only some seconds ago.

_"Wait. Should I have moved my legs so he could pass to the other seat or did I do the right thing?"_ Rose thought, panic starting to get the better of her.

Wait again. Why the heck was she worrying over such a trivial thing? He was just a stranger, for crying out loud!

A very handsome stranger, though.

Rose took a deep breath, trying to clean her mind from such thoughts. Monday always was the busiest day at work, and she surely couldn't afford to spend the day at her desk looking at the blinking mouse in her computer, daydreaming about some man she saw at the tube.

Making a strategy to advert her mind from the handsome stranger beside her, Rose balanced her tea between her knees before opening the copy of the newspaper she had bought at the newsstand near her house.

Her eyes almost immediately found the picture of a squirrel on water skis.

Goodness, she loved the _Metro_.

Her shoulders shook convulsively as she tried not to laugh; she was pretty certain she had already made a bad first impression on the stranger, and squirting tea through her nose wouldn't amend the situation.

_"Take a deep breath, Rose."_ She told herself biting her bottom lip, her fingers scanning the paper, searching for a way to change the page.

That's when she heard a male voice that melted her heart and weirdly, reminded her of honey and the stars shining above her at night.

"Squirrel?"

Her heart skipped a beat when she turned her head and saw him, a small smile playing on his lips. She took a moment to rewind the scene and unveil what he said and when she finally knew what he had asked her, Rose found herself imitating his smile. She then turned the newspaper in his direction and let him see.

She noticed him biting the inside of his cheek, trying not to burst out laughing in the middle of the tube, surrounded by sullen English people.

And she fell a little more for him.

"How did ya know?" Rose inquired the handsome stranger, tongue peeking through her teeth. She congratulated herself mentally when she noticed she didn't stutter like a fool for a change.

"My sister was reading the _Metro_ this morning while eating breakfast and next thing I know, she's spitting tea all over the place and laughing hysterically." He looked at the picture of the squirrel, attempting to sound mad, even if the small bend on his lips betrayed him. "Had to change my shirt because of that little rodent."

Rose laughed, her heart suddenly gaining wings and trying to fly of her chest.

She knew she was being stupid. What she felt in that moment could only be described as one of the many silly crushes she had had in her teens. But now she was a grow up woman, and she couldn't possibly get distracted with such things.

Still… It wouldn't hurt to know his name, would it?

Rose extended a soft hand in his direction, her eyes never leaving his. "My name's Rose Tyler. And yours?" She demanded, telling herself she was just being friendly, and not that she secretly wished they'd end up exchanging numbers.

"John. John Noble." A shaky breath escaped through Rose's lips the moment their hands met. "But people usually call me 'The Doctor', so you may call me that, if you want."

The Doctor dropped her hand too soon to Rose's liking, but she didn't complain. Instead, she raised an eyebrow. "Why 'The Doctor'?"

Her handsome not-so-stranger-anymore rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and Rose thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Weeelll… I think it all started back in the university. I was the genius of my class in…" he made a small pause, as if he was elaborating a mental list "Pretty much everything, if I remember correctly. And so my friends gave me that nickname."

Rose nodded. Her gut told her he was lying, but she didn't say anything. But, if she had to guess the true origin of his nickname, she'd say it probably involved a wild party while at university, too much drunkenness and a girl. Or at least, that was how her Uncle Tom got his.

The tube stopped, and what Rose felt when she realized she had to leave could only be described as pure dread.

She was aware this was very likely to be the first and last time she saw this man, and she felt her heart's wings being cut by faith's knife, only to fall into a dark and never-ending pit.

Her smile left her features when she got up, pondering what her last words to the Doctor should be.

_"It was nice to meet ya."_

_"My stop's here. Have a nice day."_

_"Well, I have to go. Bye, Doctor."_

Or… She could ask him his number. Five little words that could either make her the happiest girl on London or make her seem like a fool.

Which, considering her life experience, was more probable to be the latter.

"Sorry, is this Leicester Square?"

Rose looked down at him, visibly surprised. "Y-Yeah." She made a small pause, before that little voice in her head won the battle and she spoke, hope filling every cell in her body. "Why d'ya ask?" _And please say this is also your stop_, she pleaded mentally.

"Well, according to my friend Jack, I have to get out in this station and then go down through some street to get to the place where he works."

Rose grinned. It's that, or she'd start squeaking like a god dammed 13-year-old girl.

_"'Kay, one more minute with him. Better than nothin'."_ She reckoned.

They shared a smile before exiting the tube, away from all the cranky business man, the baby's cries and of course, the lovebirds' nest.

Rose finished her tea while climbing the stairs, the Doctor at her side remarking something about her drink being in fact a superheated infusion of free radicals and tannin.

Curious man, the Doctor. After all, she was pretty sure she never met someone who wore a pinstriped suit with a pair of converse.

Too soon, the sunlight hit Rose's face, telling her that they were now in open street and that she had to say goodbye to this man.

He seemed to notice the same, for he stopped in his tracks and for a moment, Rose swore she could see something flash in his eyes, before he masked it with a gentle smile.

"Well, I have to go now. It was nice to meet you, Rose Tyler."

Rose shuddered at the way her name rolled in his tongue, before shaking his hairy hand.

"It was nice to meet ya too, Doctor." She smiled a bit at him, before she glanced at her wrist watch. In less than 10 minutes she had to be sitting at her desk and she would have nothing more but the memory of this man to keep her company through the day.

She raised her gaze to look at him, as if saying 'goodbye' before turning her back on him, the pit in her stomach growing 20 more km.

She gulped. There's that voice in the back of her head scowling her for having given up so easily.

But what was she supposed to do? Say 'sod off' to her work and run through the streets of London looking for him? Especially considering that at this time, he had already been swallowed by the crowds? And, even if she managed to find him, what would she say?

_"'Lo again,Doctor. I know this may sound crazy, maybe because it is, but can ya gimme your number?"_

That may work in cheesy Hollywood movies, but not in real life. He'd just think she was a lunatic.

The blond girl and a fairly big group of Londoners stopped at the edge of the sidewalk when the signal turned red for them and various cars began to go down the road again in frenzy, leaving a trail of smoke behind that caused her to cough a bit.

Rose sighed frustrated. She hated Monday mornings. Especially that one.

She should know better than to fall in love with a complete stranger. Sure, now she already knew his name, but besides that… Nothing. He was just a good-looking man dressed in a pinstriped suit that had a crazy sister.

_"Yeah, that's it. Just a complete stranger."_ She said to herself, even if her heart told her a different story.

She woke up to the world around her when a hand landed on her shoulder.

A very hairy hand.

"Excuse me, Rose?"

Her heart won wings again when she heard his voice and whatever depressive thoughts she had about him flew out the window. She took a deep breath before turning around, and beamed when she saw those chocolate eyes staring back at her.

"I'm so sorry for bothering you. I know you probably have a job to go to but I'm new in town and I certainly do not know where St. Martin street is and-"

Rose cut him off, her smile never leaving her features. "Oh, don't worry. I can show you where that street is, since I'm also heading there."

The Doctor smiled back at her in relief. "Thank you."

Less than a moment after, the signal turned green and the duo crossed the street.

"So, ya said you're new in town?" Rose inquired after some moments in silence, curiosity and fascination causing her to want to know everything about him.

"Yeah. I was living in Cardiff but then my sister told me that the company she and my friend work for is hiring and I thought 'Why not?'. I had nothing better to do anyway and was getting bored to death working at home."

Rose nods, digesting this information. They were turning around the corner when she said "Mind if I ask you what your job is?"

The Doctor tugged his ear a bit before answering. "I don't know." When Rose arched an eyebrow, he explained "Today is my first day at work. And it's a little difficult to explain but this company writes articles for a great amount of journals and magazines. So, I think you can say I'll basically write. About what, I still don't know."

Rose nodded again, her stomach an authentic cage for butterflies. She was aware this was very likely to be only a coincidence, but she also worked in a small company that specialized in the same field as the Doctor's one, and in the last reunion she had, her boss told her and the others that he was hiring. And then there was still the fact that he had also to walk down St. Martin's street…

"Doctor…" He turned his head in her direction and Rose gulped, overwhelmed by the intensity of his gaze. "I-Is by any chance your company called 'The Tardis'?"

Time slowed down in a painful way until she heard him answering "Yeah. Why?"

Scratch what she said about Monday mornings. From now on, it would be her favourite time of the week.

Rose smiled at him, tongue peeking through her white as snow teeth when she stopped dead in her tracks. The Doctor stopped too, looking curiously at her.

"Because, Doctor, I think we haven't introduced ourselves properly yet" The Doctor raised an eyebrow, whereby Rose took off her purse a small security card of a deep blue colour, watching amused how his eyes widen at the sight of the object."'M Rose Tyler, columnist at the Tardis publishing house. And you are going to be my co-worker."

* * *

Rose Tyler sat at her desk, pretending to be working when in truth, her attention had been caught by two people.

The Doctor was leaning against a cupboard in the kitchen, his right hand holding a mug of tea while the other adjusted his specs. He seemed to be talking with a dark-haired man, which after further observation, Rose discovered it was Jack Harkness, the head editor of the magazine.

She pondered if she should pinch herself, since this felt like a crazy dream. And maybe she'd just wake up, pink duvet around her as if she was a mummy, stuffing a pillow against her ears attempting to muffle the sound of her alarm clock.

But she didn't.

Instead, she turned her head at the feeling of a presence beside her, only to be greeted by a pair of icy blue orbs shining in mischief.

"Already seen the new bloke?" Carolyn Russ asked, biting her bottom lip at the sight of their new co-worker talking with their boss.

Rose eyed the blond woman suspiciously, deciding that she didn't even like a bit of the way she looked at the Doctor, as if he was her defenceless prey, ready to be devoured to the last bite— which, knowing Carolyn as she did and hearing the rumours about her through the corridors of the building, Rose can't say that's too far away from the truth.

She suddenly swallowed hard, the lump in her throat keeping her from breathing properly.

Honestly, she knew she had no reasons to care. She just met John, the Doctor, the squirrel man, a few minutes ago. Sure, he was funny and charming and had this pair of eyes that made Rose's brain stop working, but still…

So why did she find her heart making acrobatics in her chest at the thought of him and Carolyn snogging, not to think about another situation which involved them a lot less clothed?

"You know," Carolyn's voice brought Rose back to reality "I think I'll pay a visit to the newbie once Jack leaves him alone. John's his name, right?"

Rose barely nodded in confirmation.

"Good. And he's not bad, either. The only problem is that his sister is Donna."

Rose's head snapped upwards to look at Carolyn. "What did ya say?"

"Didn't you know?" When the blond girl shook her head in denial, Carolyn spoke "Donna, our _dear_ writing coordinator, is John's elder sister." It doesn't go unnoticed the way Carolyn grimaced at the mention of the ginger woman, but Rose decided on not remarking it. "I bet she shagged Jack in order to get a job for her little brother."

Rose exhaled, something burning in her throat. She turned to her computer, typing some words in the keyboard, trying to advert her gaze from Carolyn "You know, from what I heard, Jack and John are friends. So I reckon Donna didn't have to…" Rose cleared her throat, before proceeding "You know. Plus, the Doctor seems like a brilliant and capable man who doesn't need his sister doing those kind of… favours for him to get a job."

Carolyn snorted. "If you say so…"

Rose bit her lip, trying not to say something she would later regret.

She always knew Carolyn was that kind of co-worker that loved to gossip about everyone in the office, and sometimes, she even enjoyed to invent rumours. She only seemed to forget that she, from the entire building, was the one who should keep her head low.

Oh yes, because even if Rose didn't talk about it, she knew what reputation Carolyn had.

"You know, you're right. I think Donna didn't sleep with Jack," Rose looked at her, visibly surprised "She probably slept with Jack and the other editor, what's his name? Mike?"

Okay, that was enough. Even Rose had her limits.

"You know, _Carolyn,_" she grimaced when she said the woman's name, imitating the gesture Carolyn made while talking about Donna "I reckon you shouldn't speak of other people's life when you have a fair share of… _experiences_ in your own."

Carolyn blinked.

Moments later her jaw began to tremble and it was only a matter of seconds until she emitted a cold laugh that made Rose feel goosebumps.

"Oh, you're so funny, Rosie."

And before Rose could retort, Carolyn turned on her heels and left her alone.

"There you are, Rose."

A brown-haired woman appeared from the corner with a huge filer in her arms, smiling warmly at the girl. Rose smiled back at her, thanking mentally for having Sarah Jane in her life.

The woman, from all the people at her work, was probably the most sympathetic to her.

Rose remembered her first day at work, when she put her feet on the building for the first time, legs shaking and almost hyperventilating. At the time, Sarah had been the first one to introduce herself and she even offered to show Rose the place. In the end, she turned to be a kind of second mother, the eye of the storm, the person she turned to when she needed a good glass of wine and a shoulder to cry on.

"Donna asked me to give you this." The filer landed with a loud thud in Rose's desk, while Sarah exhaled in relief. "Good luck with that, by the way."

"Thanks."

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but something in the corner of her eye clearly caught her interest. Rose turned back and followed her gaze, and couldn't say she was surprised when she saw the Doctor.

"That's Donna's brother?" The elder woman asked, arms crossed, her back leaning against the wall of the cubicle.

"Yeah. His name's John, but people call him 'The Doctor'."

"Oh, so you've already met him?"

Rose chewed her bottom lip. Sarah Jane was probably one of her closest friends, but she didn't know if she should tell her about their meeting at the tube. Especially since Rose's brain seemed to shut down the first time she laid eyes on him.

"Yeah, he… he asked me for directions to the building and I helped him out." _There, 'm not really lying_, she thought.

"That's so nice of you." Sarah remarked, her eyes shining proudly at Rose through her fringe before they turned to scan the room. She beamed at the same time Rose grumbled under her breath when she noticed that the Doctor and Jack had already left the kitchen, heading to the second floor, away from curious eyes. "I'm going to make tea. Do you want some?"

"Nah, thanks."

Sarah Jane nodded, before turning around and walking down the corridor in the room's direction.

Left alone once again, Rose sighed happily, before turning back to the computer. She had lots of articles to write, and she didn't even want to know what monstrosity of work Donna put in that filer.

Yeah, that's it. Work. That's what she had to focus on.

* * *

Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours and before Rose had the time to finish her article about wines, it was lunch time.

With a sigh, she got up and walked down the hallway in the kitchen's direction, asking herself if she still had the left-overs of Friday in the fridge.

Probably no, but she still could check.

"Rose, Rose!"

The blond girl turned around, smiling when she saw Donna running in her direction, panting.

"Goodness, you're a hard one to find." She took a deep breath before smiling kindly, and Rose couldn't help but think she was seeing the reflection of the Doctor's smile. "John just told me you helped him getting here and I wanted to thank you. Without you, I think Spaceman could have spent the day walking in circles."

Rose laughs. "Spaceman?"

"Yeah. It's his nickname. I began calling him that since…" she made a small pause and closed her eyes, as if trying to remember a long-lost memory "Well, since I remember. Mostly because sometimes, it's as if he comes from another planet. You know, with all that rambling and those weird words that seem something a Martian would speak."

"Oi, it's not my fault that I'm brilliant."

Rose's eyes found the owner of the voice some feet away from her and Donna, and her heart seemed to stop beating again.

She should go to the hospital. She was pretty sure that was not normal.

The Doctor walked towards them, stopping beside Rose so he was able to look at his sister, and Rose bit her lip when she noticed he smelled of tea and peppermint.

Donna snorted, crossing her arms and leaning in her brother's direction glaring at him. "Yeah, right. Do you call 'brilliant' the time I almost set my hair on fire because you, sir, decided it was a good idea to play with my hair stretcher?"

The Doctor opens his mouth before closing it, only to repeat the gesture three more times before saying "First, that was ages ago. Second, I wasn't playing with your air stretcher; I was _improving_ it. And it wasn't my fault that I told you to not push the red button and what did you do? That's right, you pushed it!"

"It was last week. And it was my best hair stretcher! Do you know how many pounds it cost me?"

"Well-"

Rose, knowing from experience how fights between siblings generally ended up (she could thank her younger cousins for that), cleared her throat.

"As I was about to say, you're welcome, Donna" She stated, referring to the first part of the conversation, before she turned to face the Doctor, her cheeks turning into a bright shade of crimson when she saw how dangerously close they were. "A-And it was nice to see ya again, Doctor."

The man nodded, his lips curving into a small smile, before Donna's snort interrupted their moment.

However, before she could give it too much thought, her mobile began ringing inside her trousers' pocket, so she excused herself before walking out, leaving unnoticed the knowing look Donna gave her and her brother.

* * *

"I'm just saying" Donna began some hours later at home when John sat at the table, grimacing at the overly cooked meat pie the ginger woman landed in front of him "She's pretty. And blonde."

Her brother sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The last thing he wanted in that moment was to be in a relationship, considering how badly the previous one had ended up.

As if reading his thoughts, Donna said "You know, just because things turned bad with Reinette, it doesn't mean that they'll end up the same way with other girls" She made a small pause to sit down, facing her brother before proceeding, more to herself than to him "It's not like we're all bitches that enjoy having more than one boyfriend at the same time."

John nodded, hoping the gesture would end that conversation. Talking again and again about how Reinette was dating Lou, an intern ten years younger than him right under his nose made him sick.

But at the same time, it was ironic. He, working himself to death in the office, while Reinette came up with an excuse of being sick, in the same days as Lou had to go to some 'meeting'.

He only forgot to mention it was with his girlfriend and in his bed.

At first, he thought nothing of it. After all, he was talking about Reinette, the same woman who left her family behind in France to be able to live with him. Thinking such thing of her was an offense to all the sacrifices she had made for him, for _them_.

But then, the tittle-tattle began between his co-workers, followed by the pitying looks people casted at him.

Still, he ignored it all. He chose to stay blind because he refused to believe in what was right in front of him.

It was only three months of lying and cheating later, in one of the days both Reinette and Lou were 'sick' that John came home earlier.

Needless to say, he got out of home that night and never showed up at work again.

"Spaceman, are you listening to me?"

Donna's voice interrupted his train of thought, and John looked at her. "Err… Yes, yes. You were just talking about…" He made a small pause, pleading mentally for Donna to proceed.

She narrowed her eyes at him, before saying "I was telling you that if you want a pause from blondes, you still have Martha, one of the receptionists" She cut a slice of the pie and helped herself. "Although… I think she's seeing someone else, so just forget her. "

"Donna-" Her brother began, saying her name in some sort of plea.

"Anyway, what matters is that you have lots of women working at the building, and I see the way some of them look at you." At this, John arched an eyebrow. "Yes, Martian boy, the girls like you. Don't ask me why, though. That's a mystery to me."

"Oi, just so you know, I'm very charming!"

Donna rolled her eyes. "Sure, Spaceman."

John glared at the ginger woman, before turning his attention to the plate in front of him. It smelled of spice and, obviously, meat. And besides the slightly over-cooked edges, it looked good.

Maybe Donna had finally learnt to cook.

Taking a deep breath to gather courage, he slowly brought a piece of pie to his mouth.

Nope, still horrible.

He quickly spit the contents, much to Donna's disliking, before drinking all the water in one gulp, trying to get the flavour out of his mouth.

Donna snorted. "You're such a Drama Queen."

John exhaled after some moments, cleaning his wet mouth with the back of his hand. "Blimey, this is utterly horrible. Are you trying to kill me?"

The ginger woman shrugged, eating a bit of meat pie without even blinking. "You're just overreacting. This is good."

"If you want to get food poisoning." He murmured under his breath, before getting up. "Well, I should go. Have to work tomorrow, remember?"

"You know, I could give you a lift to work. Unlike certain people, I didn't fail on my driving test and certainly did not almost kill Mrs. Mackenzie when she was crossing the road."

John bit the inside of his cheek, attempting to not say anything that could cause them to end up fighting like cats. "No, thank you. I'll take the tube."

Donna smiled knowingly, her eyes dancing. "Oh."

John raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"And here I was, trying to get you a nice lady when you already have your target aimed."

John's mouth opened and closed various times, the perfect impression of a golden fish "W-What?"

"I'm not judging you, Martian boy. I'm just saying you could already have told me. I can help, you know."

"Wait, what?"

Donna rolled her eyes. Her brother, to a genius, managed to be pretty thick sometimes. "You know, with Rose."

"Huh-huh." He made a small pause, as if digesting the information before repeating "What?"

Donna sighed frustratingly. "I'm saying that if you fancy Rose, I can help you." At her brother's silence, Donna asked "Wait, are you really going to tell me you're taking the tube just because you want to and that you don't fancy the girl?"

John looked at his wrist watch distracted— or maybe, knowing him as Donna did, trying to avoid the question. "You know, that's really fascinating, Donna, but I have to get going. See you tomorrow."

"B-But, John!"

Her only answer was the sound of the door closing behind him.

* * *

_**Remember, feedback is always appreciated :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Big thanks to my wonderful readers for taking the time to read this story :D_**

**_And to all the people who reviewed the last chapter: I'm so, so sorry I couldn't answer your reviews. But I promise I read every single one of them and smiled like a fool whilst doing so._**

**_Also, as always, sorry for any typos._**

* * *

**Chapter 2- Of banana muffins and almost kisses**

* * *

The next day, Rose literally jumped to the first seat beside the window she found in the tube, hoping that in that way, the Doctor would see her and, hopefully, make her company through the trip.

Although she knew it was very likely that he wouldn't notice her, and even more likely was that even if he did notice her, he wouldn't bother to sneak like a serpent through a large crowd of people gathering at the door, just for the safe, she put her purse on top of the seat at her left, claiming it to the Doctor in case a miracle happened.

The normally short trip from Holloway Road to Holborn seemed like an eternity, her fingers playing with the end of the sleeve of her pink blouse and her front tooth chewing her bottom lip, both gestures she did every time she was nervous.

She also tried to distract herself with her so-called game, trying to guess other people's lives, but couldn't concentrate on anything but the way her chest tightened with each passing second, impeding her from breathing properly, as if she was being crushed by gravity.

Finally, the tube stopped and her hands and nose became glued to the cold window, scrutinizing the area outside looking for a certain tall man with floppy hair that pointed in all directions, dressed in a pinstripe suit and converse.

Rose was well aware of the weird glances the old lady in front of her was throwing at the visible side of her face, but she didn't care. In that moment, the young blonde was a woman on a mission, and Lord knows that a Tyler woman was unstoppable once an idea got inside her head.

"C'mon…" She murmured to no one, peeking at the people in the other side of the glass, a big black hole beginning to form in her belly, draining little by little her hopes.

She wanted to see him so badly. Since their small meeting near the kitchen with Donna the day prior, Rose didn't see him again, except when he climbed up the stairs in his office direction.

There were so many things she wanted to ask. Was he enjoying his new work? Did he like living in London? Was his relationship with Donna always like the demonstration she had seen? Did he still get lost whilst walking in the streets?

And it seemed like she wouldn't know the answer to any of them.

The tube began once again its sliding over the rails, while Rose's body swiftly balanced from left to right.

With a sigh, she stepped away from the window, leaning back on her seat as her head lolled backwards.

"Didn't he come, sweetie?"

Rose snapped her head in the old lady's direction, surprised at her sudden question, and more surprised with the fact that even an elderly woman who knew her from nowhere could read her so easily.

Subconsciously, Rose crossed her arms, as if protecting herself from the other woman's curious gaze.

"No," she then smiled at her own stupidity, before proceeding, "It's weird, ya know? I only met him yesterday on my way to work, and at the time I didn't know he would be working with me. Blimey, I didn't even know his sister was my superior." She then shrugged before a sigh once again escaped her lips.

She was silent for some moments, before she added, her eyes shining as a dreamy smile graced her features, "But there's somethin' 'bout him. I don't know what, but there is. Even if I barely know nothing more but his name."

The old lady let out a small but warm laugh.

"Oh, dearie, it was just like that with me and James." She stated, the wrinkled corners of her mouth bending in a smile that reached her wise green eyes.

Rose raised an eyebrow at the mention of the man, so the elder woman quickly clarified her. "He's my husband."

Rose blinked, wordlessly, before her cheeks turned into a bright shade of crimson.

"Oh. Uh. Well-"

"Excuse me, Miss, is that seat taken?"

Rose's eyes widened, not quite believing that she had just heard the words that started everything the day before spoken by that voice; the one that remembered her of honey, tea and the stars shining like diamonds under an infinite dark blanket.

She looked up to be greeted by an electric grin, big warm eyes staring at her, his pinstriped suit covered by a brown overcoat.

Rose saw herself imitating his 1000 gigawatt smile, so bright her cheeks hurt. But she didn't care.

"Hello." She said, the big black hole in her belly long gone, only to be replaced by a warm and fuzzy feeling.

"Hello." He echoed, unaware that they were both being observed by the old lady across Rose, that stared at them as if they were the most interesting subjects in the entire world.

After Rose took her purse of the seat, the Doctor sat beside her, a cheeky grin adorning his face.

"Didn't know you had saved me a seat, Rose."

The said girl blushed violently, heart beating wildly inside her chest, before she recomposed herself, reckoning that she wouldn't fall for his teasing.

Tongue peeking through her teeth, she poked him in the ribs, huffing in satisfaction when he let out a low cry.

"Don't get all full of it, Doctor. I was just being a nice co-worker. Besides," she made a small pause, before proceeding, "We wouldn't want ya to be running 'round in circles in the streets when you have me, your guide, would we?"

The Doctor sniffed, before muttering something under his breath about Donna and how she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Rose rolled her eyes, pretending indifference when in fact, her heart fluttered at any word he spoke or even any movement he made.

"So, Doctor," Rose began some moments later, so caught up in her bubble of happiness surrounding her and the man that she didn't notice that the old lady was now smiling at them, "I never got to ask you yesterday if you're enjoyin' your job."

The Doctor broke into a maniac grin.

"Enjoying? I'm loving every single second of it." He made a small pause, scratching his chin. "Weelll, maybe not every single second of it. Of course that sometimes it is hard for me since I have to be seating in a chair most of the day, silent and still. Can you imagine that? Me. Silent and still. And then, there's also Jack; I swear, if it had sex appeal, the man would flirt with a rock."

Rose laughed at his comment, shaking her head. "C'mon, he can't be that bad."

"But he is. Trust me, I know him since university." His face suddenly contorted into a grimace, his eyes far away from that moment, revisiting old memories. He suddenly shuddered, before raising his gaze to look at Rose, faking a haunted look that could rival some of the best performances of some Hollywood actors. "You're lucky you didn't get to know him back there. Really."

Rose bit the inside of her cheek, attempting to not laugh at his expression.

Oh, the Doctor surely would turn the conversations between the folks in the office ten times juicier. After all, it wasn't every day that a long date friend of her boss showed up in the building.

"And what about the articles you write?" Rose asked, remembering the conversation they had had the other morning, about him not knowing what kind of things he would have to write about. "What will you be working on?"

"Mostly science stuff, as I had said to you. But then, from time to time, I'll also focus on other things." He then turned to look at her, smiling proudly. "Genius, I am."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're so cocky."

"Maybe." He shrugged slightly. "But I'm still brilliant."

Rose rolled her eyes, the corners of her lips twitching into an amused expression. "And what 'bout London? You enjoyin' it?"

"Yeah. It's different from Cardiff, but it's good."

Rose smiled at the mention of the city, her eyes dancing at the memories.

"Oh, I love Cardiff. My dad used to take me, mum and Tony there every weekend." She chuckled under her breath, remembering the times when she was just a silly teenager listening to trashy pop music and without any worry in life. "I remember this park where he'd take us in summer to have a picnic. Mum and him would lay a towel on top of the grass, in this spot near the bay, right under the trees so it would cast a cool shade under us, while I chased Tony like a mad girl."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" The Doctor asked, smirking at her.

Rose swiftly bumped her shoulder against his, electricity sparkling in the air the moment the fabric of his coat met her cotton blouse.

"Shut up." She ordered, ignoring the feeling of familiarity and comfort the gesture caused.

It was in that moment that her eyes fell on the elderly woman in front of her, that she now noticed wore a purple skirt that reached her knees, matching her coat. She was smiling warmly at Rose and the Doctor, and the young blonde found the vision to be quite terrifying–after all, who would smile at 8 in the morning at a complete stranger?

Okaaay, Rose would. But that had been a different case. She had smiled at the Doctor, and only because she was trying to make up for the fool she had made of herself.

And maybe because she thought he was foxy. _Maybe_.

_"__He's my husband."_

Rose flushed at the memory, refusing to think further about the meaning of the phrase. She was barely awake at that time of the morning, or as she liked to call it, she was still in her 'zombie-like' state. It surely wouldn't be healthy to wake up from it with her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she feared the Doctor could hear it.

Moments later, the tube came to a stop and Rose exited it, the Doctor right behind her as she shared a last look with the old lady, suppressing a shiver.

"So, where to now?" The Doctor questioned once they were in open street, stepping aside when a small boy dressed in uniform almost collided against him, before rushing through the street, his mother some seconds behind him.

Rose's eyes widened in disbelief, before she laughed.

"Goodness, you still don't know how to go to work?" She asked, smiling when he murmured a small 'no', hands inside his coat's pockets, as his eyes found a new interest in his white converse.

"Hey, don't worry. I don't mind being your babysitter."

The Doctor's eyes looked up to glare at her, but he found himself unable to do it when he saw her smiling at him.

"C'mon."

And before he could even protest, he was being dragged away, Rose leading the way.

* * *

They ended up in front of a coffee shop a few minutes away from their workplace, Rose grinning brightly when she saw the open sign.

Neither her nor the Doctor knew when or how, but their fingers intertwined somewhere after they began walking side by side, their joined hands swinging between them as they strolled down the street.

It almost felt normal, familiar even, in Rose's opinion. She loved the feel of his hairy hand gripping hers as he talked about some scientific thingy the blonde didn't understand at all. And for a moment, she let herself forget all her worries, her fears, pretending that she and that wonderful man hadn't met just a day ago.

"So, fair Rose Tyler, where are we?" The Doctor asked, waking Rose from her reverie.

He was looking down at her, and for a reason that nothing had to do with size, she felt a lot shorter than him.

"Well, since I woke up a lot later than I should today, I didn't have the time to eat a proper breakfast. And then I remembered this amazin' coffee shop near the Tardis building that bakes the best chocolate muffins of the world. And they also sell '_Skittles'_! So I thought we could pop here, yeah?"

After saying this, she felt herself freezing, reckoning that maybe, he preferred to just go to work.

She gulped at the thought, glancing to a spot behind her shoulder. The Tardis building was right at the end of the street, and with its deep blue colour adorning its exterior walls, Rose knew the Doctor could go alone without the risk of getting lost.

She momentarily wondered if it was too late to tell him that after all, she didn't feel that hungry and they could both walk together to work. But who was she kidding with? In that moment, she could kill for a good cuppa and a delicious chocolate flavoured muffin, or even a brownie and a packet of '_Skittles'_.

But she was also sure the food wouldn't taste as good if she had to be left alone by the Doctor.

"Rose? Are you feeling okay?"

The young woman looked up at him, her pursed lips breaking into a smile when she met his piercing brown eyes.

"Yeah, I was just…" she shrugged nonchalantly, trying to seem like she didn't care, when in reality, her heart was ascending to her throat, "Ya know, if you don't wanna come, it's fine by me." _No, it isn't_, she thought, mentally pleading for him to don't let go her hand.

He stayed silent for some moments, their intertwined hands hanging in the cold morning air between their bodies, as Rose chewed her lip, waiting for him to say something.

Finally, after what had been one of the most painful waits in Human history, -or at least Rose thought so- the Doctor lowered his head, his face right in front of Rose's porcelain features.

She suddenly saw herself unable to breathe, move even, her eyes widened as she apperceived the tip of her nose was touching his, his lips hovering hers in a dance that was driving her mad.

"Rose," he began, his voice low and raspy tickling her skin and causing her to shudder, "I'm going to ask you something very, very important and I need you to answer honestly, okay?"

Rose barely nodded, not able to speak. Her tongue felt dry and ten times thicker than usual inside her mouth, and she didn't want to scare him away because of some animalistic sound the back of her throat would emit in the heat of the moment.

"Good. Now," he leaned in closer without making contact with her lips –and how that was possible Rose didn't know- and she swore his eyes seemed darker, almost black, honestly.

Rose would grin if she remembered how to do it. In that moment, she felt overwhelmed by their proximity, his scent, the desire reflecting in his eyes and hers, too.

They were both in their own little world, the sounds of buses and cars driving down the road unheard for them, as the smell of the freshly baked cakes inside the pastry nearby could not be smelled under the scent of the Doctor's after shave.

Rose's awareness was ceasing to exist little by little, second by second, as the only thing she could think about was the man in front of her.

She didn't care they had barely met; She didn't care she didn't deserve him; She didn't care she had to go to work.

Blimey, if this would lead to where she thought it would, she'd call in telling she was sick.

Rose was going to kiss John freaggin' Noble, and nothing in this world could stop her.

She inwardly smiled at the thought. Part of her was going crazy at how slow he was taking this, how he was making her suffer with anticipation and need. The other part though, the smaller and probably the 21-year-old, was panicking.

What he was making her feel… It wasn't good. In the end, this could only lead to heartbreak, and then Rose would be obliged to collect the pieces of her shattered heart, alone.

But now, as she was about to close her eyes and give in to temptation, she could only think on the thrill hitting her body. It felt as if she was standing in the edge of a pit, staring down at its dark depths, the unknown, and if she decided to jump, there would be no turning back.

But she wanted this. She wanted _him_.

With her mind made, she closed her eyes, leaned in and-

"Do they have banana muffins?"

Rose's eyes snapped open, her heart aching inside her chest when she saw he was standing some feet away from her, smiling as if he hadn't just stabbed her, leaving her to bleed her soul out.

She blinked at him a couple of times, opening her mouth to articulate something, _anything _that would express what she was feeling,but no sound came out of it.

Reality hit her hard after some seconds of silence when she understood what had happened, and she felt as if she had just been threw into a bath full of ice cubes without warning.

The ground underneath her feet appeared as if it had started crumbling, along all the other things, people and buildings around her, and if she hadn't the Doctor's hand grabbing her own, Rose feared she would have lost connection with reality.

"Rose? Are you feeling ill?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she reclaimed her hand, refusing to touch him.

It was just too much for her to handle.

Swallowing the lump in the back of her throat, she tried to smile at him, the corners of her mouth twitching into a bitter grimace.

"I'm fine, _John_." She said, her voice cold and harsh, emotionless.

She made sure she called him by his true name, trying to build an invisible barrier between the two of them. The Doctor existed no more. The man in front of her was now John Noble, her co-worker.

He seemed a bit taken back by her actions, staring at Rose as if she had just grown a second head, before his hands were reluctantly dragged to the inside of his pockets.

For a second, the blonde swore she had seen sadness reflected in his dark brown orbs, before shrugging it off, reckoning it was her mind playing tricks on her heart.

"Rose-"

"'M not hungry anymore," she stated, cutting him off before he could say something that would lead her to blurt it all out, her feelings, her frustration, "I'm going to head off to the office, but you can pop up in the shop." She then gulped, before proceeding, the words tasting as ash in her mouth. "An' they have banana muffins, if 'm not mistaken."

"But, Rose-"

He reached out for her, but she quickly avoided his hand by taking a step backwards.

"I have to go. See ya later, John."

And before he could react, she turned on her heels, walking away with longs strides from the man who managed to break her with one simple gesture.

It was only minutes later, once rain began pouring down from the now black and cloudy skies of London, soaking her to the bone, that Rose allowed herself to cry, hoping the salty tears would blend with the cold water.

And, with a little luck, maybe that would be enough to wash away the pain from her heart.

* * *

Sarah Jane was in the cosiness of her office, drinking tea from the 'I heart my mum' mug that her son had offered her in Christmas, the rain pouring from the sky hitting the glass wall behind her, offering a slight blurred panoramic vision of the city below her.

She sighed, wishing the photos displaying on the screen could edit themselves when a quiet knock at the door echoed through the room.

Murmuring a low 'come in', she began scanning the folders in her desktop, searching for the one labelled with 'HP's photos'.

The door opened and closed in a quick movement, the clicking of high heels against the blue carpeted floor being muffled by the soft surface.

Sarah reckoned whoever had just entered the room could begin the talking, so she waited, eyes glued to the computer screen as she tried not to curse under her breath.

Where. Were. The. Photos.

It was only when she heard a woman sobbing that she looked up, mouth gaping open at the sight of no one else than her protégée, her trousers and blouse soaked in rain, blonde hair all soggy and uncombed as her face was stained with blurred mascara.

Wordlessly, she got up from the chair and opened her arms, offering comfort to a red-eyed Rose.

The young woman gladly accepted, grabbing Sarah Jane as if she was her anchor, and without her Rose would fall into an endless abysm of self-pity and pain.

Her sobs, once quiet shuddered breaths followed by small crystal tears, turned into soul-aching cries, her shoulders shaking compulsively as she fought for oxygen.

Sarah, seeing that her friend wasn't ready to talk yet, simply held her tighter, patting her back and even remembering her to take deep breaths every time she noticed Rose was on verge of asphyxiation.

She then let her eyes wander the room, stopping in the shelf near her desk when she saw the framed photo of Luke between some books, wishing that her son would not become some heartbreaker now that he was almost a grow-up man, leaving girls like Rose crying her heart out because of something he did.

She shivered at the thought, before shaking the idea off. Luke was Luke, the sweetest boy on Earth. He would never hurt someone on purpose.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rose calmed down enough for Sarah to guide her to the white couch beside the glass wall, enabling the view of London city in all its splendour.

After she made sure the girl was comfortable, Sarah walked to her desk and phoned Martha, demanding a cuppa to the receptionist, hanging up with a 'thanks' before returning to the couch.

Rose seemed almost totally calmed down by now, her shoulders shaking the slightest as she tried –in vain- to clean the thin lines of black staining her face.

"Here." Sarah said, extending a packet of tissues to the girl.

She watched, silent, as Rose cleaned her face, leaving some crumpled tissues with small dark smudges behind.

"Better now?" Sarah asked, taking a seat in the other end of the couch, giving some needed space to the blonde.

Rose barely nodded in affirmation, inhaling deeply, ending up by breathing the faint scent of incense.

She grimaced at this.

Sarah Jane always had had a certain like for scented candles. She said that whenever she was nervous, the smell of it would calm her racing mind and help her relax.

Poor Rose didn't ever have the courage to tell her she despised the scent.

Now though, maybe Rose had to buy some of those too, to calm her mind and heart.

"So, care to share with the class what's happened?" Sarah demanded, leaning just a tad forward in Rose's direction, ready to help her friend getting through whatever was bothering her.

"I… I just…And he…" She sighed, rubbing her face, preferring to let Sarah drawn her own conclusions instead of telling her about the Do- _John_. His name was John, Rose remembered, scolding herself mentally at her lapse.

She couldn't afford to get attached to him- or at least, to get even more attached. Starting to act cold towards him would be a way to keep him at bay.

Even if Rose's heart seemed to be squeezed by an invisible force at the thought.

"Rose," the said girl raised her gaze to look at Sarah, surprised at how restrained her voice sounded, her face pale as chalk, "Did Tony-"

Rose immediately interrupted her train of thought. "Oh, God, no. He's fine. Still didn't… B-but he's fine."

Sarah sighed in relief, her expression of a person who had just lost a huge weight on her shoulders before proceeding once again.

"Then what is it, Rose? Did anyone hurt you?" When she became silent, playing with the end of her pink blouse, Sarah knew she had it the sore spot.

Next, praying for her theory to be wrong, she asked, voice suddenly low and stressed, "Did Jimmy come back?"

Rose cringed at the name, memories she swore to forget returning to her mind and playing inside her head as if she was watching a movie only she could see.

Taking a shuddered breath, she shook her head from left to right. "Goodness, no."

Sarah sighed once again in relief. No dead Tony and no Jimmy Stone.

But then what had hurt Rose so badly? "Then what is it? What's troubling you?"

Just as Rose opened her mouth to speak, a voice came out of the other side of the door.

"Sarah Jane? It's me, John. I have the papers you asked for and the cup of tea you demanded." A small pause, before he added, "Not that I was waiting for you to order a cuppa, of course. I was just talking with Martha and she asked if I could give you the tea, since I was heading to your office."

Rose froze, eyes widened in panic as Sarah arched an eyebrow at John's ramblings.

The elder woman sighed, before getting up, surprised when she felt Rose grabbing her right arm.

"Please, Sarah," the younger woman pleaded, whispering the words so John wouldn't hear her, "Don't let him see me."

Confusion flashed in Sarah's eyes before she asked, "Why?"

Rose bit her lip, at the same time both women heard John saying "Sarah, are you there?"

"I'll explain everything later, 'kay? Just let me hide. Please." Rose said, desperate to escape.

Sarah seemed to ponder over Rose's request for a few moments, before she sighed. "Fine, but then you'll really tell me what's going on."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, whatever. Just let me hide before he comes in."

Sarah looked around the room, searching for a good hideout where John wouldn't be able to see Rose.

Besides the desk, she couldn't really see any other place that was big enough to hide a full grown-up young woman and since they were running out of time…

"Hide underneath it."

Rose looked at the piece of furniture, before turning back to look at Sarah as if she was crazy.

The desk seemed small, the kind of small that would force Rose to contort every single muscle in her body in order to fit in there.

"It's that or John, I'm afraid." Sarah whispered, already heading to the door.

Rose exhaled frustratingly before getting up, crawling to the small space. She quickly curled up in a ball, grimacing at the sudden back pain, just as she could hear Sarah opening the door to greet John.

That was going to be a hell of a morning.

* * *

**_Next chapter:_** The Doctor gets slapped; Sarah Jane lends a helping hand; Rose receives a phone call that leaves her scared to death… aaannd… You'll have to wait to see more.


	3. Chapter 3

**_I know I promised to some of my readers that I would post the new chapter last Tuesday, but I was(am) having some problems writing it._**

**_But since I didn't want to make you wait, I decided to write this._**

**_This is an in-between chapter and it's going to focus on what happened to Donna and John's parents and as a bonus, it will feature our favourite bowtie addict._**

**_Hope you enjoy :)_**

* * *

**Chapter 3-The man who runs and the man who returns**

* * *

Donna Noble, quite honestly, loved her little brother more than anything else in this world.

Not that she would ever admit it out loud, obviously.

Spaceman already had an ego bigger than Matt Smith's chin, and the last thing she wanted was him to shout from the rooftops that behind that mask of bossy and sometimes rude sister, Donna cared about him.

But really, what kind of sister would she be if she didn't love him? Especially after everything they had faced together in the past?

Donna shuddered involuntarily at the memories. Even after all this years, she could remember vividly all the details, almost as if the scenes were burnt in her brain.

Although, there was one, or rather two, that hurt her more than the others, two that haunt her most of her lonely nights.

* * *

It was a normal summer day, the sky of a beautiful blue shade with the occasional deep white clouds strolling down the London skies at a slow pace. The sunlight reached the young woman's skin, warming her sleeveless arms but doing little to warm her cold and empty soul.

She wore a black pleat dress that reached her knees, her high heels of the same colour and the ginger locks of her hair tied up in a long plait. Her right hand grabbed a hairy and strong one, as her left intertwined with a small and soft hand.

John and Matthew, the two men of her life, were all she had now. The three of them against the world.

But haven't it been like that their entire lives?

Since they were mere kids, they knew they weren't as the rest of the Noble family. Wealth and aristocracy meant nothing to them compared to a good shot of adventure and some bruises.

So, instead of the fancy balls where they had to dress-up and pretend to be invisible as their parents talked with half of the high society, Donna and the boys sneaked through the household servants and ran to the gardens of the manor, playing hide-and-seek until the adults found out they were missing.

There were also days where the three of them would take their bikes to the hill near the mansion, and then, they'd spend the afternoon racing against each other.

Needless to say, both actions weren't praised by Geoff and Sylvia Noble.

According to them, Donna, John and little Matt were supposed to spend their days locked up in the mansion, the boys studying to become geniuses like their father, and Donna practising to become a proper 'lady'.

The three snorted at their parents' ideas and, being the rebellious trio they were, kept on going on adventures, ignoring their family.

Because, and as Donna would realize later, they were different.

Instead of the cold, emotionless heart the Noble family owned for generations, Donna and her younger siblings possessed a warm and fierce one that longed for adventures and love.

And as the three would later understand, they didn't only love each other, they _needed_ to be together. It was their survival mechanism.

So, for the rest of their childhood and teens, they did just that, running from home every day, returning at night to be greeted by their father's yells.

But, even with this, it was perfect.

Or at least, it was until the day everything fell apart.

Donna was only twenty at the time and, when confronted with the thought of her parents dying, she thought the world would stop moving that day. The streets would be deserted and murky, dark clouds covering the sky and pouring rain, as if crying for the death of Donna's loved ones.

How wrong she was.

She woke up in her bed, the sunbeams peeking from behind the beige curtains kissing her skin good morning, causing her to squint her eyes at the sudden light.

With a loud yawn, she stretched her arms in the air, expelling the last remains of sleepiness off her body before getting up, shuddering when her bare feet made contact with the cold marble floor.

After popping in the en suite, she made her way through the colossal wardrobe– a large corridor with white carpeted floor and literally hundreds of garments hanging in both sides – deciding for a simple pair of trousers, a white shirt with red stripes and a pair of ballerinas, instead of the fancy dresses and high heels in which she could barely walk.

Then, she proceeded on sitting in front of her vanity, combing her long locks of hair into a ponytail that left her neck and the gold necklace hanging around it at sight.

So, maybe Donna didn't like very much the way her parents tried to raise her and her brothers, but that didn't mean that sometimes -or most of the time- she didn't enjoy some of the privileges their money could buy.

Not that this means that she was a self-seeker; she simply liked to feel like a princess sometimes, but if she were to have to choose between her freedom and her daddy's money, she sure would prefer to abandon her bedroom worthy of the Royal family and make a life from her own job.

Smiling proudly at her own reflection for the way she thought about things, she finished applying the red lipstick she knew drove Lance, her boyfriend, insane, before turning around to grab her purse and the unbelievable amount of thick books she had to carry around campus.

Could be worse, though, she reckoned. At least, she didn't have to share an apartment with other students, considering the Noble manor was just in the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Donna turned around, jumping what she thought were ten feet when, instead of the pile of books, she found John and Matthew near her secretary in the other end of the room.

Raising a hand to her chest in an attempt to slow down the erratic beating, she took a deep breath, gritting her teeth in order to not shout at them.

One day, she'd end up killing one of them by accident, thinking they were a thief or something like that, with all that sneaking around.

"Bloody morons! Do you want me to have a heart-attack?" She was about to adopt her pose of _don't-screw-with-me-if-you-don't-want-a-slap_, which consisted of her glaring at them with her hands resting on top of her hips, when she noticed the boys' eyes.

Maybe it was just her imagination, or maybe it was just the sunlight playing tricks, but both Matt and John's eyes were glazed, and she noticed how they were constantly bobbing their Adam's apple.

And now that she thought about it, they had been quiet. Really quiet.

Sure, both boys sneaked daily into her bedroom, personal space be dammed, but usually, they'd start rambling like there was no tomorrow, but that day…

Donna felt her heart being squeezed, her chest rising and falling as she fought for air.

She knew something was wrong. She could _sense_ it.

"John, Matt… What's going on?"

John, being elder than Matthew, took a step towards Donna, combing his hair with a shaky hand. "Dad and Mum… They…" He made a pause, his chin trembling slightly as a tear ran down his cheek.

Donna looked to the little boy behind him, hoping she was wrong and that Matthew would be smiling at her as he usually did every morning.

But he wasn't.

Instead, he was cleaning his face with the back of his hand furiously, not daring to look at the ginger girl in the eye.

"No, no, no. You're kidding, aren't you?" Donna crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at both young men. "This is a cruel joke, isn't it? Well, guess what, you lot try this with me again and I swear I'll slap you both to Mars, understood?"

She walked with long strides past John, shaking her head in disbelief.

They were kidding, that's it. Geoff and Sylvia Noble were downstairs, eating breakfast and chatting about how Mrs. Jameson's choice of dress last night had been horrible, or about dad's plans to spend the weekend in Spain, and Donna would join them.

"It's on the news."

She turned her head to look at Matthew, her eyes cold as ice.

He was sitting on top of her secretary, his shoulders sunk and his legs swung in the air, intertwining his hands as his eyes found an interest in his feet.

Donna closed her eyes, raising a hand to touch the golden doorknob.

Her mum and dad weren't in the dining room. Her dad had gone on a business trip to New York, and her mum decided to go with him so she could pay a visit to the 5th avenue and renew her wardrobe. They had made their goodbyes the day prior and, when the Bentley had crossed the gate of the property in the airport's direction, Donna, John and Matt had shared looks, grinning madly when they acknowledged they had the whole house for them, if they didn't count with the staff.

Wait. The airplane…

She turned on her heels, searching the bedroom with her eyes for the remote control. She found it above the flowered quilt and quickly grabbed it, turning to face the telly standing on top of a sideboard on the opposite wall.

She glanced at Matt and then at John, and when both didn't even blink, their eyes dark and sombre, she felt the urge to run away.

She looked down at the thing in her trembling hands.

This was it. If she turned on the telly, there would be no turning back. She couldn't simply ignore it all and live in a fantasy world, eluding herself with the belief that her parents were alive and well.

And oh boy, how she wished she could do so.

But… she needed to know.

Taking a deep breath, Donna pointed the remote control to the telly and pressed the 'on' button, feeling rather sick at the feeling of her belly contorted in a knot.

Almost immediately, the face of some young female journalist dressed in a red suit appeared on the screen and just a little below her knee, Donna could read 'Breaking news: Airplane crash kills billionaire couple'.

"I'm sorry, Donna. I'm so sorry."

She tried to look at John, but saw herself unable to when images of what once had been an airplane flashed in the telly, pieces covered in flames scattered around a green field.

John, taking hold of the situation, took the remote from Donna's hands in a nasty movement, shoving it to the ground without caring the slightest.

"Look at me, Donna." When she didn't, John grabbed her by the shoulders, not quite knowing if he was doing it to shove her from the shock or if he was trying to get support. Probably both. "I know how you're feeling, but you can't be like that. Me and Matt… We need you, Donna. _Please_."

"They're dead. Mum and dad are dead."

John cringed at how her voice sounded. Hollow and cold.

"Yes, but you still have us, remember? Me and Matthew, we're here with you." He said, squeezing her shoulders a bit as if to prove his point.

Donna stayed silent for some moments, tears streaming down her face.

When she finally spoke, she raised her head to look at her brother. "I-I… I never got to tell them. I never t-told them that I… I love them."

Donna watched as John gulped, a turmoil of emotions flashing through his dark eyes so quick she couldn't really know what he was feeling.

"Me neither, Donna." He pulled her to his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. "Me neither."

She felt warm drops of water landing in her head and, knowing that those weren't her tears, held John tighter, clinging to him as if he was a life-saver in the middle of a storm in the sea, soothing him with sweet words in his ear.

Some minutes later –or seconds, Donna didn't really know-, she heard footsteps coming in her direction and after a bit of hesitation from him, she felt Matt's arms surrounding her, his head resting on her shoulder.

And, just for that moment, she let herself cry, not caring that she was supposed to be the strong one.

"There's no one but us." Donna remarked, her mind back to the cemetery.

And she was right. Besides her and the boys, no one else came.

She shuddered at the thought, her heart aching for her parents. After all the balls and parties and whatnot, all the posh people they had met, only the three 'children' they ignored most of their time came to say a last goodbye.

"Guess that's what happens when you act the way they did." Matt said, a bittersweet tone making itself heard.

Donna squeezed his hand a bit, trying to fight back tears.

Honestly, after everything that had happened, she didn't really know why she still cared. Her parents never were the kind of parents that Donna wished she could have, but still, even after the way they acted towards her, she found herself in deep pain.

"Wilf wanted to come." John remarked under his breath, trying to avoid the two gravestones with his gaze. "But there were some problems back in London and he'll just be here tomorrow."

Both Donna and Matt nodded curtly.

Wilfred was an old family friend, and quite possibly, the only person connected with her dad's business that didn't ignore Donna and the boys. In fact, sometimes, when the three were younger, Wilf would play with them or tell them stories beside the fireplace.

Basically, he was the granddad the Noble children never had.

And, as Donna already suspected, he would soon be their guardian.

"I think I'm going to be away for a while."

Donna's head snapped to her left in Matt's direction, eyes widened at what he had just said. "What? Why?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his place, his eyes glued to the grass beneath his black shoes. "I… This is too much for me. I need to take a break from this," Matt lifted his head for the first time since they arrived, looking to a spot behind Donna's shoulder, "And I think I'm not the only one."

Slowly, the ginger girl turned around, only to face a rather crestfallen John.

Oh, she knew that look. The one with the puppy eyes and his Adam's apple bobbing. It was the one he usually used to apologise or to try to not make someone mad.

"I'm sorry, Donna."

Of course. The two bloody gits spent their lives running; why would they stop now, especially after everything shattered and there was no way to return back to normal?

She turned once more to look at Matt. "B-but you're barely sixteen years old. Where are you going to? And what will you do? You're just a little boy!"

Matt shrugged, an apologetic and almost imperceptible smile twitching the corners of his mouth. "Travel around the world. I heard Los Angeles is lovely this time of the year."

Donna nodded, not trusting her voice to speak.

"And I'll do the same."

The young woman turned her head once again to look at John, surprised to see that he had moved and was now in front of her and Matt, the trio forming a circle.

Donna, gathering all the strength she had, took a deep breath before asking, "Are you at least going to travel together?"

The two shared an amused look for some moments, before turning their attentions to Donna.

"Nope." John stated, bouncing a bit on his feet. "I think we'd kill ourselves in the first hours."

"You're the one that puts us in the line and without you… I think we wouldn't last a day together, with no one else around." Added Matt, smiling genuinely for the first time since that entire mess started.

Donna nodded again, inwardly asking if that was the only thing she could do in a situation like the one that was happening in front of her.

Matthew and John, the only people she had left, were both leaving her behind.

And why? Because, during the years they had lived in the Noble manor, Donna had taught them how to run away from everything and everyone. How to run away from their problems.

It was now that she asked herself if it had been a mistake; if the fact that they were about to run from her was her own fault.

"So… This is…" She made a small pause to clear her throat, trying not to give away how their words had broken her more than her parents' dead, "This… You're telling me goodbye."

John tugged at his ear. "Weell… I'll stay for a day or two so I can see Wilf, but then…"

He let the words unspoken, but Donna could see what he meant only by looking into his eyes.

She didn't even ask Matt what his plan was. She knew he was counting on leaving her as soon as Wilf gave him his share of the money their parents left them, just like John.

And, knowing the two of them as Donna did, she doubted they would say goodbye to her. She'd probably wake up one morning to find they were gone and she would be left alone, the house feeling a lot bigger and emptier than it felt some time ago, when they were still a family.

And, two days later, she found out she was right.

* * *

Yes, Donna Noble loved her brother. After all, besides that bloody git called Matthew (that still hadn't returned) he was the only person she had left.

Wilf had stayed with her during some years but even he couldn't fight against age and, seven years later, she found herself once again in that blasted cemetery, John grabbing her hand.

Only this time, Matt wasn't there.

They still talked from time to time and, in what could only be described as a miracle, he had showed up at her doorstep two years ago on Christmas Eve, the lines of his face rougher, claiming him to be now a man, but deep inside, he still had the spirit of a little boy.

Obviously, he had left a couple of days later at dawn, yet again without saying goodbye.

But at least he had showed up, so that counted for something. And since John had returned for good five years prior, she didn't feel so alone anymore.

So, yes, she loved him. However, that didn't mean that sometimes, she didn't want to slap him so hard that he'd land that skinny arse of his on the moon.

And today was one of those days.

* * *

**_Good? Bad? Meh? Why don't you tell me with a review? _**

**_P.S.: Think that Donna deserves someone. Poor woman seems pretty depressed… Is anybody here against me pairing her with Jack?_**

**_Also, I think I'll change the name of this fic. ('Time will tell' is the name of the episode of 'Castle' I was watching when I decided to write this story. Not very creative, huh?)_**


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